Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough "Peanut Butter" Cups
Yields: 36 "peanut butter" cups
 
If you like Reese’s peanut butter cups or chocolate chip cookie dough (or both!), then you’ll love these healthy homemade candies! Practically flourless egg-free chocolate chip cookie dough surrounded by rich dark chocolate… I call them little bites of bliss! They’ll keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or they’ll keep for at least three months if stored in an airtight container in the freezer.
  1. Place mini paper cupcake liners inside of 36 mini muffin cups. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
  2. To prepare the filling, make the practically flourless chocolate chip cookie dough bites as written, but shape the cookie dough into 36 small spheres (not 16 as written!). Flatten each sphere until it’s just barely smaller than the mini muffin cup. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough. Once all of the cookie dough has been shaped, place a sheet of plastic wrap or a lightly moistened paper towel over the top of the cookie dough to prevent it from drying out.
  3. Place the dark chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir for 1 minute. Continue to heat for 10-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute between each, until the chocolate has completely melted.
  4. Dollop a small amount of melted chocolate into one mini muffin liner, enough to cover the bottom, and carefully set one of the flattened filling spheres on top. Spoon more melted chocolate on top, carefully spreading it so it drips over the sides of the filling and into every nook and cranny of those liners. Repeat with the remaining chocolate and pumpkin mixture.
  5. Once all 36 mini muffin cups have been filled, place them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes (or the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes) or until the chocolate has hardened. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat.
Notes: Use regular bars of chocolate, not chocolate chips! Chocolate bars melt better and taste smoother than chocolate chips, which often contain a stabilizer to help them hold their shape. I love these Ghirardelli and Lindt bars for this!

Flattening the filling ensures the tops of your “peanut butter” cups are smooth and flat too, not rounded from the sphere poking up out of the chocolate!

Paper liners will better peel away from the peanut butter cups when they’re cold, straight from the refrigerator or freezer! If storing in the freezer, let them thaw on the counter for 5-10 minutes before eating.

{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low sugar, lower carb}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/10/03/healthy-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-peanut-butter-cups/